Method and system for engaging in a transaction between a consumer and a merchant

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a method for engaging in a transaction between a consumer and a merchant. In particular, the present invention is directed to a method and system for providing instant credit by a credit issuer to the consumer at a point-of-sale of the merchant. In addition, the present invention is directed to a method and system for identifying at least one optimal credit product from a plurality of credit products of at least one credit issuer to a consumer.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This continuation patent application claims priority to and the benefitof U.S. Patent Application No. 11/710,883, filed on Feb. 26, 2007, thecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates generally to credit systems and creditissuer/consumer relationships, and in particular, to a method and systemfor engaging in a transaction between a consumer and a merchant,offering credit at a point-of-sale and identifying at least one optimalcredit product of a credit issuer for a consumer and offering theoptimal product to the consumer for consideration.

2. Description of the Related Art

According to the prior art, when a consumer wishes to obtain a creditproduct, such as a credit card or credit account, from a credit issuer,such as a bank, the consumer fills out an application, whether in hardcopy of electronic form, and submits this application to the creditissuer. Once the appropriate information is received from the consumer,the credit issuer will make a decision regarding whether the applicantis eligible for credit product. If the person is, indeed, eligible, andmeets the necessary requirements, the credit issuer establishes andaccount and provides the consumer with either the appropriate accountinformation, or in most cases, a physical credit card for use inengaging in transactions. In addition, in order to successfullyconsummate the transaction, the consumer must have some preexistingrelationship with some credit provider in order to facilitate anynon-cash transaction, e.g., an online transaction, a telephonetransaction, etc. Therefore, in order to engage in some non-cashpurchase, the consumer must obtain credit, initiate the transaction withthe merchant, and utilize the obtained credit product to consummate the,transaction and receive the goods and/or services. Therefore, there is aneed for some payment option in a non-cash transaction that does notrequire a preexisting credit relationship.

In some situations, the consumer applies for a credit level or creditproduct type for which he or she is not eligible. For example, theconsumer may apply for a “gold” credit card from the credit issuer, butis only eligible for the “silver” credit card. Accordingly, the creditissuer will issue a notification to the applicant that he or she isunfortunately not eligible for the “gold” card, but is for the “silver”card. Such an offer from the credit issuer is often referred to as a“down sell”. However, presently, this “down sell” is only used inconnection with a single type of card and/or in connection with a singleand discrete credit issuer. Therefore, the “down sell” represents only adownward qualification, which would be preferable to outright denial ofthe applicant, since the issuer is attempting to maximize sales andprofit.

The “down sell” is fairly common, but extremely limited, i.e., limitedto one issuer, limited to one type of card, etc. However, the creditissuer may have a number of different goals and objectives with respectto new or upgrading applicants. For example, the credit issuer may wishto control transactional costs, maximize sales, control risk, maximizelong-term sales, maximize short-term sales, encourage co-brandedproducts, etc. There are presently no methods and systems that takespecific credit issuer (or affiliated merchant) objectives into accountwhen offering credit products to the consumer, whether in a “down sell”or “up sell” situation.

There are many available credit products offerings to which a consumermay respond. However, the consumer may also have certain goals andobjectives when searching for the optimal credit product, e.g., lowinterest rate, high loan level, minimal penalties, special advantagesand perks, etc. Further, the consumer often would like to consider avariety of credit issuers, as well as a variety of credit products foreach credit issuer. Therefore, there is a need for a method and systemthat would take the consumer's objectives into account, and provide theconsumer with the optimal credit product (or appropriate products).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a methodand system for providing instant credit to a consumer engaged in anon-cash relationship with a merchant. It is a further object of thepresent invention to provide a method and system for facilitating acredit transaction between a consumer and a merchant. It a still furtherobject of the present invention to provide a method and system foridentifying optimal credit products for use in a transaction between acredit issuer and a consumer. It is another object of the presentinvention to provide a method and system for identifying optimal creditproducts that take into account consumer selection data and/or creditissuer selection data. It is a further object of the present inventionto provide a method and system for identifying optimal credit productsthat offer at least one optimal credit product to a consumer based upona credit issuer's goals and objectives. It is a still further object ofthe present invention to provide a method and system for identifyingoptimal credit products that offer at least one optimal credit productto a consumer based upon a consumer's goals and objectives. It is yetanother object of the present invention to provide a method and systemfor identifying optimal credit products that operates effectively inboth a “down sell” and an “up sell” situation. It is a further object ofthe present invention to provide a method and system of identifyingoptimal credit products that a optimized and presented to the consumerfor selection.

Accordingly, in one embodiment, the present invention is directed to amethod for providing instant credit by a credit issuer to a consumer ata point-of-sale of a merchant. The method includes the steps of:initiating or engaging in a transaction between the consumer and themerchant at the point-of-sale; obtaining a consumer/transaction data setincluding a plurality of data fields populated with data reflecting theconsumer, the merchant, the transaction, the credit issuer or anycombination thereof; analyzing at least a portion of theconsumer/transaction data set; based upon the results of the analysis:(i) offering instant credit by the credit issuer to the consumer at thepoint-of-sale; or (ii) preventing an offer of instant credit by thecredit issuer to the consumer at the point-of-sale; and if instantcredit is offered to the consumer: (i) accepting, by the consumer, theoffer of instant credit; and (ii) consummating the transaction betweenthe consumer and the merchant using the provided instant credit.

The present invention is further directed to a method for identifying atleast one optimal credit product from a plurality of credit products ofat least one credit issuer to a consumer. The method includes the stepsof: providing a credit issuer selection data set including a pluralityof data fields to a central optimization database; providing a consumerselection data set including a plurality of data fields to the centraloptimization database; determining at least one optimal credit productto be offered by the at least one credit issuer to the consumer basedupon: (i) at least one data field in the credit issuer selection dataset; (ii) at least one data field in the consumer selection data set, orany combination thereof; and offering at least one optimal creditproduct, by the at least one credit issuer, to the consumer.

In a further embodiment, the present invention is directed to anapparatus for providing instant credit by a credit issuer to a consumerat a point-of-sale of a merchant. The apparatus includes a storagemechanism including an central database, and at least one inputmechanism for transmitting a consumer/transaction data set including aplurality of data fields populated with data reflecting the consumer,the merchant, the transaction, the credit issuer or any combinationthereof, to the central database. Further, a processor mechanism isconfigured to: (i) analyze at least a portion of theconsumer/transaction data set; and (ii) based upon the results of theanalysis: (a) offer instant credit by the credit issuer to the consumerat the point-of-sale; or (ii) prevent an offer of instant credit by thecredit issuer to the consumer at the point-of-sale. The apparatus alsoincludes an output mechanism for offering the instant credit to theconsumer at the point-of-sale.

In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to an apparatusfor identifying at least one optimal credit product from a plurality ofcredit products of at least one credit issuer to a consumer. Theapparatus includes a storage mechanism with a central optimizationdatabase and at least one input mechanism for transmitting a creditissuer selection data set including a plurality of data fields to acentral optimization database and for transmitting a consumer selectiondata set including a plurality of data fields to the centraloptimization database. The apparatus further includes a processormechanism configured to determine at least one optimal credit product tobe offered by the at least one credit issuer to the consumer based upon:(i) at least one data field in the credit issuer selection data set;(ii) at least one data field in the consumer selection data set, or anycombination thereof. In addition, an output mechanism is provided foroffering at least one optimal credit product, by the at least one creditissuer, to the consumer.

These and other features and characteristics of the present invention,as well as the methods of operation and functions of the relatedelements of structures and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing description and the appended claims with reference to theaccompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification,wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in thevarious figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that thedrawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only andare not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. As usedin the specification and the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and“the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a method and system forproviding instant credit by a credit issuer to a consumer at apoint-of-sale of a merchant according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a method and system foridentifying at least one optimal credit product according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an example screenshot of a credit productoffering to a consumer according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another embodiment of a method and systemfor identifying at least one optimal credit product according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a further embodiment of a method andsystem for identifying at least one optimal credit product according tothe present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a still further embodiment of a method andsystem for identifying at least one optimal credit product according tothe present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of yet another embodiment of a method andsystem for identifying at least one optimal credit product according tothe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

It is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternativevariations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to thecontrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices andprocesses illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in thefollowing specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of theinvention.

The present invention is directed to a method and system 100 forproviding instant credit by a credit issuer CI to a consumer C at apoint-of-sale POS of a merchant M. In particular, as shown in onepreferred and non-limiting embodiment in FIG. 1, the present inventionbegins with the consumer C initiating, engaging in or otherwiseinteracting with a merchant M at the point-of-sale POS. While the system100 is particularly useful in connection with online transactions, e.g.,transactions over the Internet, at a merchant M portal, etc., it isequally useful in extending instant credit to consumers C at any type orvariety of point-of-sale, such as over the telephone, in the mail, at anin-store location, etc. In the present embodiment, the point-of-sale POSis at an online location of the merchant M, such that the point-of-salePOS is a consumer's computer 102 (output mechanism). Accordingly, all ofthe consumer C, the credit issuer CI and the merchant M interact with orotherwise communicate with the computer 102 over a network, e.g., theInternet, a virtual private network, etc.

Next, a consumer/transaction data set 104 is obtained by or otherwisetransmitted to a central system 106, which includes a processormechanism 108 and a storage mechanism 110. This consumer/transactiondata set 104 includes a plurality of fields 112 populated with datareflecting the consumer C, the merchant M, the transaction, the creditissuer CI, etc. Once this data set 104 is received at the central system106, it is analyzed or processed by the processor mechanism 108. Basedupon this analysis, the credit issuer CI and/or central system 106offers (or authorizes the offer of) instant credit to the consumer C atthe point-of-sale POS, in this embodiment, the computer 102. Inaddition, and also based upon this analysis, the credit issuer CI and/orthe central system 106 may prevent such an offer to the consumer C. Ifthe instant credit is offered to the consumer C, the system 100 furtherenables the consumer C to accept the offer of instant credit, andconsummates the transaction between the consumer C and the merchant Musing the instant credit.

The consumer/transaction data set 104 may include a variety of datapoints and information. For example, the fields 112 may be populatedwith data reflecting a consumer's C name, a consumer C key, a consumer Cidentification, an account number, an address, a city, a state, a zipcode, a country, a telephone number, an e-mail address, a socialsecurity number, a date of birth, the merchant's M name, anidentification, a credit issuers' CI name, credit issuer CI data, creditdata, credit product data, credit rate data, credit terms data, creditproduct benefits data, a product identification, a serviceidentification, a company identity, a merchant M identity, consumercredit account balance, merchant M history, private label entity data,affiliated private label entity, transaction data, transaction type,transaction amount, etc.

Accordingly, the presently-invented system 100 allows for the receipt ofinstant credit by a qualified consumer C at the point-of-sale POS.Further, this instant credit is extended to the consumer automatically,and used to consummate the transaction with the merchant M, such thatthe merchant M ships the goods or begins the services based upon thiscredit. In this manner, the consumer C only need provide certain basicinformation and data in the consumer/transaction data set 104 in orderto obtain instantaneous credit from the credit issuer CI and/or centralsystem 106.

In a further embodiment, the system 100 includes averification/authentication system 112. This system 112 is incommunication with or otherwise a part of the central system 106, and isused to verify or authenticate the consumer C prior to offering theinstant credit to him or her. This verification by theverification/authentication system 112 is based at least in part uponthe data in the consumer/transaction data set 104. Of course, if thesystem 100 requires additional information or data from the consumer C,the merchant M, the credit issuer CI or other parties, it eitherautomatically requests such information, or otherwise instructs the userto obtain this data. Therefore, the verification/authentication system112 ensures that the offer of instant credit to the consumer C isappropriate and directed to the correct entity or identified consumer C.

In another embodiment, the system includes a credit analysis system 114,which is supplied with a consumer data set 116 having a plurality ofdata fields 118 populated with data reflecting the consumer C, themerchant M, the transaction, etc. This system 114 is used to analyze thecredit of the consumer C prior to extending the instant credit, and mayalso be used to analyze the type of transaction, the amount of thecontemplated transaction, etc. The credit analysis system 114 analyzesone or more of the fields 118 in the consumer data set 116 and makes acredit decision. As discussed above, if the system 114 requiresadditional information or data to successfully complete the analysis,this data may be requested, as appropriate, from any of the parties tothe transaction.

Based upon the analysis by the credit analysis system 114, the system106 and/or the credit issuer CI makes the decision to offer the instantcredit to the consumer C, or prevent such an offer from being presentedat the point-of-sale POS. Of course, it is also envisioned that thecredit analysis system 114 obtains the required information or data inthe consumer data set 116 prior to the consumer C engaging in thetransaction with the merchant M. This means that the consumer C may bepre-screened and/or pre-approved for the instant credit prior to theactual transaction. During the transaction, once theconsumer/transaction data set 104 is transmitted or communicated to thecentral system 106, the consumer C may be verified by theverification/authentication system 112, and the instant credit isautomatically provided or offered to the consumer C at the point-of-salePOS based upon the pre-screening or pre-approval. Such a method couldalso be used to automatically deny or prevent the instant credit frombeing offered to the consumer C.

The credit analysis performed by the credit analysis system 114 mayperform a variety of functions and drive a variety of responses orcommunications from the credit issuer CI and/or the central system 106to the consumer C. For example, based upon the credit analysis, thesystem 100 may provide a communication 120 to the consumer C that he orshe is only able to use a limited amount (partial amount of thetransaction) of instant credit at the point-of-sale. A communication 122may be used to inform the consumer C that he or she is, indeed, eligiblefor instant credit. Another communication 124 may be used to inform theconsumer C that the transaction is not eligible for instant credit,based upon transaction data, transaction type, transaction amount,merchant data, consumer data, etc. For example, the transaction type maybe too risky to provide instant credit to the consumer C, oralternatively, the amount of the transaction may be much too high forthe provision of instant credit. However, the communication 124 mayindicate that the consumer C is eligible for another type of transactionor more-limited transaction amount.

The consumer data set 116 may include a variety of data. For example,the fields 118 may be populated with data reflecting a consumer's Cname, a consumer C key, a consumer C identification, an account number,an address, a city, a state, a zip code, a country, a telephone number,an e-mail address, a social security number, a date of birth, themerchant's M name, an identification, a credit issuers' CI name, creditissuer CI data, credit data, credit product data, credit rate data,credit terms data, credit product benefits data, a productidentification, a service identification, a company identity, a merchantM identity, consumer C credit account balance, merchant M history,private label entity data, affiliated private label entity, transactiondata, transaction type, transaction amount historical interactionbetween the consumer C and the credit issuer CI, historical data,merchant M data, previous consumer/credit issuer transaction data,consumer C creditworthiness, consumer C credit quality, size ofpurchase, type of purchase, consumer C demographic data, consumer C age,consumer C location, consumer C income, consumer C credit data, consumerC purchasing behavior, consumer C purchasing behavior with a specifiedcredit issuer CI, credit issuer CI sales objectives, credit issuer CIgoals, consumer C purchasing history, consumer C status, consumer Clifetime value to credit issuer CI, credit issuer CI input data,consumer C input data, product credit rate, product credit terms,product benefit data, product relationships, product tie-ins, consumer Cpurchasing behavior at a specified merchant M, merchant M objectives,merchant M goals, consumer C lifetime value to merchant M, merchant Minput data, a transaction amount, a consumer C purchase demographic, aproduct identification, a service identification, consumer C type, acompany identity, a merchant M identity, a third-party risk score, riskdata, authentication data, verification data, consumer C rating data,profitability data, credit risk data, fraud risk data, transaction riskdata, denial data, processing data, a general credit risk score, acredit bureau risk score, a prior approval, prior report data, previoustransaction data, a geographical risk factor, credit account data,bankcard balance data, delinquency data, credit segment data, previoustransaction data, time between transactions data, previous transactionamount, previous transaction approval status, previous transaction timestamp data, a response code, active trades in database, public recorddata, trade line data, transaction medium, credit segment data, consumerpayment type, consumer C payment method, consumer C payment history,consumer C account history, consumer C credit account balance, merchantM history, private label entity data, affiliated private label entity,consumer/merchant historical data, negative consumer/credit issuer data,positive consumer/credit issuer data, etc.

In another embodiment, prior to the offer of instant credit to theconsumer C, the system 100 provides for the presentation of credit terms126 to the consumer C. For example, the consumer C may be presented withbasic credit terms, a Terms & Conditions page, a basic credit contractor other simplified agreement. In general, the credit terms 126 wouldsignify the consumer's willingness to eventually satisfy the debtincurred by using the instant credit of the credit issuer CI.

After the transaction is consummated, and the goods and/or servicesdelivered or performed, the consumer C must then satisfy his or herdebt. Therefore, the system 100 further includes some payment system128, which presents, to the consumer C, a variety and plurality ofpayment options PO. These payment options PO are then used to satisfysome or all of the instant credit provided by the credit issuer CIand/or central system 106 to the consumer C. As discussed hereinafter,the type, order, method and system for use in providing these paymentoptions PO may be optimized. Further, these payment options PO may be inthe form of an e-check, a check, cash, an ACH product, a credit card, anew credit account, an online credit account, an existing creditaccount, a minimum payment on account, a debit account, etc.

Prior to presenting the payment options PO to the consumer C, the creditanalysis system 114 may be used to analyze the credit of the consumer Cand provide appropriate payment options PO thereto. For example, and asdiscussed in greater detail hereinafter, the credit analysis system 114may make the necessary credit decision to list and/or optimize thevarious payment options PO available to the consumer C based upon theconsumer/transaction data set 104 and/or the consumer data set 116.

Once presented, the consumer C selects one or more of the paymentoptions PO to satisfy the incurred debt. In one embodiment, the consumerC selects a payment option PO that is a credit product, such as a creditcard, an online credit account, etc. Therefore, if eligible, verified,authenticated, etc., the credit account is activated and used to pay offthe instant credit involved in the transaction. Of course, the consumerC may select more than one payment option PO and segregate all or aportion of the total instant credit amount to be satisfied by one ormore separate payment options PO. For example, one payment option PO maybe a credit offer with certain benefits if the amount transferred is ata specified amount. Accordingly, the consumer C may wish to allocatethat amount to that specific payment option PO, and satisfy theremaining instant credit debt using some other vehicle, e.g., cash,e-check, debit, etc. In this manner, the consumer C is provided with aseamless method and system 100 for obtaining instant credit at thepoint-of-sale POS, and satisfying the debt using a variety of paymentoptions in the future.

The present invention is also directed to a method and system 10 foridentifying one or more optimal credit products for use in connectionwith and between one or more consumers C and one or more credit issuersCI. The present method and system 10 is equally useful in connectionwith multiple consumers C, multiple credit issuers CI (whetheraffiliated or not), various types and levels of credit products, as wellas co-brand situations and merchant affiliations. Accordingly, thepresent method and system 10 is an optimization process that, whenprovided the appropriate data, serves to identify at least one, andtypically multiple, credit products for offering from one or more creditissuers CI to the consumer C. For example, the system 10 could be usedin presenting the payment options PO to the consumer C for satisfyingthe debt incurred as instant credit in connection with system 100.

In one embodiment, a credit issuer selection data set 12, which includesmultiple data fields 14, is provided to an optimization database 16,such as a database resident on a central server or centralized datawarehouse. In addition, a consumer selection data set 18, which includesa plurality of data fields 20, is also provided to the optimizationdatabase 16. Of course, one or more fields 112, 118 of theconsumer/transaction data set 104 and/or the consumer data set 116 maybe used to complement or enhance the consumer selection data set 18.Therefore, the optimization database 16 may be linked to or associatedwith the database on the storage mechanism 110. Once the appropriatedata fields 14, 20 have been obtained and stored in the optimizationdatabase 16, a determination is made. Specifically, the method andsystem 10 determines and identifies at least one optimal credit product22 to be offered by the credit CI to the consumer C. Further, thisdetermination is made based upon at least one data field 14 in thecredit issuer selection data set 12 and/or at least one data field 20 inthe consumer selection data set 18. In this manner, one or more optimalcredit products 22 are identified. Next, this optimal credit product 22is offered by the credit issuer CI to the consumer C or otherwisepresented to the consumer C, such as through the payment system 128discussed above in connection with system 100.

As discussed above, a plurality of optimal credit products 22 may beoffered or presented to the consumer C. Accordingly, these optimalcredit products 22 can be presented or offered to the consumer in avariety of forms. For example, the products 22 can be offered in hardcopy form, wireless form, electronic form, on a computing device, on adisplay device, over the Internet, as a web page, on a graphical userinterface, at a point-of-sale, before a transaction, during atransaction, upon completion of a transaction, etc. In this manner, theoptimal credit products 22 can be presented to the consumer in a form ofa listing 24, which the consumer C can peruse and make some eventualselection.

As seen in FIG. 2, the consumer C enters the consumer selection data set18 through an interface device 26, such as a personal computer 102operating in a network (such as the Internet), and this data set 18 istransmitted to the database 16. At least one, and preferably multiple,credit issuers CI have provided their individual credit issuer selectiondata sets 12 to the optimization database 16, and the system 10processes this data and provides the listing 24 to the consumer C. Ofcourse, when the interface device 26 used by the consumer C is apersonal computer 102, it is envisioned that the listing 24 of optimalcredit products 22 is provided in electronic form and transmitted to thesame interface device 26. Such communication would maximize theefficiency and speed of the method, and allow the system 10 to makevirtually dynamic decisions and otherwise perform the optimizationprocess for creating a listing 24. It is also envisioned that the methodand system 10 can be used to create a variety of credit issuer reports28 that can be provided to the credit issuer CI. As discussed in detailhereinafter, these credit issuer reports 28 could provide summary data,consumer C selection data, consumer C demographics, competing creditissuer CI data, etc.

In another embodiment, and as illustrated in FIG. 3, the optimal creditproducts 22 can be ranked prior to presentation to the consumer C. Forexample, the optimal credit products 22 can be ranked according to atleast one data field 14 in the credit issuer selection data set 12,and/or at least one data field 20 in the consumer selection data set 18.These ranked optimal credit products 22 can be organized to form theabove-referenced listing 24, and subsequently presented as an organizedlist to the consumer C.

As seen in FIG. 3, the consumer C may request a ranking based uponmultiple ranking fields 30. Furthermore, it may be the credit issuer CIthat selects the ranking fields 30 for use in presenting multiple creditproducts 22 to the consumer C. FIG. 3 illustrates the presentation of atleast three credit products, namely credit product A, credit product Band credit product C. Of course, as indicated by the arrow at the bottomright corner, this listing 24 could include any number of creditproducts 22. On the left is the credit product 22 offerings rankedaccording to field X, and on the right are credit product 22 offeringsranked according to field Y. Accordingly, it is envisioned that, basedupon the differing data in the ranking fields 30, the credit products A,B and C could achieve different rankings.

A variety of data and data fields could be presented to the consumer C,and these data or data fields could be specifically associated with aspecific optimal credit product 22. For example, and based upon thecredit issuer selection data set 12 and consumer selection data set 18,an information box 32 could be provided. This information box 32 mayinclude the perceived benefits of the optimal credit product 22, as wellas the perceived concerns regarding the credit product 22. Of course,these benefits and concerns could be based either upon the data fields20 in the consumer selection data set 18 and/or the data fields 14 andthe credit issuer selection dataset 12.

In addition, these benefits and concerns could be used in connectionwith the ranking field 30 during the optimization process for rankingthe credit products 22. For example, a numeric value may be assigned tospecific benefits or concerns by the consumer C and/or the credit issuerCI. Based upon the numeric values, and the representative totals, thecredit products 22 could be ranked. Also as seen in FIG. 3, the termsand conditions (T&Cs) could be provided to the consumer C in anotherinformation box 32. In addition, since such T&Cs are typically lengthy,it is envisioned that the information box 32 could be expanded for afuller view by the consumer C.

It may be beneficial to the credit issuer CI that the listing 24 bepresented to the consumer C in an individual and sequential form, suchthat the consumer C would only consider a single optimal credit product22 at a time. In this manner, the credit issuer CI could morespecifically direct the consumer's C attention to and encourage theconsumer C to select a credit issuer CI desired product. Accordingly,the presentation of the credit products 22 to the consumer C may beunder the control of the credit issuer CI through one or more of thedata fields 14 in the credit issuer selection data set 12.

However, it is also envisioned that a system 10 can act as a selectionand optimization engine on the consumer C side. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 3, the consumer C may select multiple ranking fields30 and perform a side-by-side comparison of multiple credit products 22based upon these ranking fields 30. In addition, it is envisioned thatthe consumer C could continue selecting and sorting within each rankingfield 30 listing in order to eventually identify the absolute optimalcredit product 22 for ultimate selection. Therefore, the method andsystem 10 of the present invention can be used as a general index forobtaining, reviewing, locating and identifying the optimal creditproduct 22 for selection by the consumer C.

As discussed above, the presently-invented method and system 10 can beused in connection with a variety of different credit products 22. Forexample, the credit product 22 may be a credit card, an online paymentaccount, a co-branded credit account, a pre-approved credit product, aprivate label credit account, a debit account, a stored value account, asingle transaction account, an option account to pay when due, etc. Itis further envisioned that, based upon the data fields 20 in theconsumer selection data set 18 and/or data fields 14 in the creditissuer selection data set 12, the listing 24 presented to the consumer Cmay include different types of credit products 22. For example, basedupon the information and data provided by the consumer C, the method andsystem 10 may provide a mixture of credit products 22 that would fulfillthe consumer's C needs. Accordingly, the assessment of the consumer's Cneeds could be taken into account and discussed in the information box32 with respect to the benefits and concerns. Accordingly, the listing24 may not be simply an offer of different credit cards, but an offer ofdifferent credit cards, online payment accounts, debit accounts, storedvalue accounts, etc. Any number of variations is envisioned for theoptimization and subsequent offer and presentation of the optimal creditproducts 22 to the consumer C. Further, as discussed above, one or moreof these credit products 22 could be selected in whole or in part tosatisfy the debt incurred as instant credit at the point-of-sale POS.

As discussed above, the determination step may be based upon acomputer-implemented algorithm, where the data fields 14 of the creditissuer selection data set 12 and the data fields 20 of the consumerselection data set 18 serve as the baseline input data for use in theoptimization. Further, this computer-implemented algorithm may use avariety of formulae and data points, and the input data may be consumerC data, merchant data, credit issuer CI data, consumer C creditworthiness, consumer C credit quality, size of purchase, type ofpurchase, consumer C demographic data, consumer C age, consumer Clocation, consumer C income, consumer C credit data, consumer Cpurchasing behavior, consumer C purchasing behavior with a specifiedcredit issuer CI, credit issuer CI sales objectives, credit issuer CIgoals, consumer C purchasing history, consumer C status, consumer Clifetime value to the credit issuer CI, credit issuer CI input data,consumer C input data, product credit rate, product credit terms,product benefit data, product relationships, product tie-ins, consumer Cpurchasing behavior at a specified merchant, merchant objectives,merchant goals, consumer C lifetime value to merchant, merchant inputdata, etc. It is further envisioned that this algorithm can bemodifiable, dynamic and configurable. For example, the algorithm can bebased upon the credit issuer CI goals, the consumer C goals or othersystem 10 determinations.

In one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, the computer-implementedalgorithm is directed to some initiation or request by the consumer Cfor the funding of a purchase or purchases. The system 100 is configuredto assemble the appropriate dimensional data, calculate or build theappropriate algorithm and select an “offer” vector that represents theranked offer map for each individual request.

On example of this process (as implemented by the system 100) is asfollows. For the dimension of “Customer Profile”, the metrics include:CP1—Number of open revolving trades; CP2—Total Revolving balances;CP3—Total revolving monthly payment; and CP4—Mortgage Present. For thedimension of “Purchase Profile”, the metrics include: PP1—Item CategoryCode; PP2—Purchase Price; PP3—Merchant Identification; and PP4—PurchaseTerms. For the dimension of “Merchant Profile”, the metrics include:MP1—Merchant Category; MP2—Primary Accepted Loan Type; MP3—SecondaryAccepted Loan Type; and MP4—Debit Acceptance Rate Index. In thisexample, the offer data, referred to as the “Offer Universe”, wouldinclude the following data points: Revolving Loan Type 1 (RLTP1);Revolving Loan Type 2 (RLTP2); Promotional Loan Type 1 (PLTP1);Promotional Loan Type 2 (PLTP2); Installment Loan Type 1 (ILTP1);Installment Loan Type 2 (ILTP2); Direct Debit Type 1 (DDTP1); and DirectDebit Type 2 (DDTP2).

Using this information and data, the following algorithms are used todetermine a desired “offer score” for use in connection with an offer tothe consumer C. In this example, the following algorithms are utilized:(1) Consumer Profile Thread (CPTF): CPTFactor=0.0034065*PP1+0.0476329*PP2+0.1283116*PP3+0.871211*PP4; (2)Purchase Profile Thread (PPTF): PPTFactor=0.2132485*PP1+0.1324954*PP2+0.7438293*PP3+0.9329232*PP4; and (3)Merchant Profile Thread (MPTF): MPT Factor=0.3565035*PP1 300.1003432*PP2+0.9512324*PP3+0.3293441*PP4. Next, and in this preferredembodiment of the algorithm, an “Offer Score” is calculated as follows:0.4030312*CPTF+0.5121321*PPTF+0.7868544*MPTF+0.003431*CPTF²+0.0019432*PPTF²+0.0059695*MPTF².Finally, an Offer Vector Map is created as illustrated in Table 1. Itshould be noted that, in this example, the 1st Quintile is designated asthe lowest 20% of outcomes based upon the Offer Score, and the OfferVector ranks the top three offers. In addition, it should be noted thatthis set of algorithms (or determination method) is only one examplethereof, and these formulae may be modified in order to optimize theprocess to meet the goals of the consumer C, the merchant M, the creditissuer CI, etc.

TABLE 1 Offer Score Range Offer Vector 1st Quintile PLTP1 RLTP2 RLTP12nd Quintile PLTP2 PLTP1 ILTP2 3rd Quintile PLTP2 RLTP2 RLTP1 4thQuintile RLTP1 ILTP1 DDTP1 5th Quintile ILTP2 DDTP1 DDTP2

As discussed above, the consumer C can be provided with or have accessto an interface device 26, such as a personal computer 102, website,electronic device, etc. It is also envisioned that the credit issuer CIalso have access to some interface device 26 for inputting theappropriate data fields 14 of the credit issuer selection data set 12,and otherwise interacting with the system 10.

Gathering the appropriate data to make the optimization and offeringdecisions occurs throughout the method and process. Further, the datafields 20 of the consumer selection data set 18 may contain a variety ofdata and information. For example, the data fields 20 may be populatedwith data reflecting a consumer C name, a consumer C key, a consumer Cidentification, an account number, an address, a city, a state, a zipcode, a country, a telephone number, an e-mail address, a socialsecurity number, a date of birth, the merchant's name, anidentification, a credit issuer CI name, credit issuer CI data, creditdata, credit product data, credit rate data, credit terms data, creditproduct benefits data, a product identification, a serviceidentification, a company identity, a merchant identity, consumer Ccredit account balance, merchant history, private label entity data,affiliated private label entity, or any combination thereof.

Similarly, the method and system 10 collects a large amount of data andinformation from the credit issuer CI. For example, the data fields 14of the credit issuer selection data set 12 may be populated with datareflecting historical interaction between the consumer C and the creditissuer CI, historical data, merchant data, previous consumer/creditissuer transaction data, consumer C creditworthiness, consumer C creditquality, size of purchase, type of purchase, consumer C demographicdata, consumer C age, consumer C location, consumer C income, consumer Ccredit data, consumer C purchasing behavior, consumer C purchasingbehavior with a specified credit issuer CI, credit issuer CI salesobjectives, credit issuer CI goals, consumer C purchasing history,consumer C status, consumer C lifetime value to credit issuer CI, creditissuer CI input data, consumer C input data, product credit rate,product credit terms, product benefit data, product relationships,product tie-ins, consumer C purchasing behavior at a specified merchant,merchant objectives, merchant goals, consumer C lifetime value tomerchant, merchant input data, a transaction amount, a consumer Cpurchase demographic, a product identification, a serviceidentification, consumer C type, a company identity, a merchantidentity, a third-party risk score, risk data, authentication data,verification data, consumer C rating data, profitability data, creditrisk data, fraud risk data, transaction risk data, denial data,processing data, a general credit risk score, a credit bureau riskscore, a prior approval, prior report data, previous transaction data, ageographical risk factor, credit account data, bankcard balance data,delinquency data, credit segment data, previous transaction data, timebetween transactions data, previous transaction amount, previoustransaction approval status, previous transaction time stamp data, aresponse code, active trades in database, public record data, trade linedata, transaction medium, credit segment data, consumer C payment type,consumer C payment method, consumer C payment history, consumer Caccount history, consumer C credit account balance, merchant history,private label entity data, affiliated private label entity,consumer/merchant historical data, negative consumer/credit issuer data,positive consumer/credit issuer data, or any combination thereof.

As part of the optimization process, the optimal credit product 22 canbe based upon data input by the consumer C and/or the credit issuer CI.Accordingly, the credit issuer selection data set 12 and/or the consumerselection data set 18 may include credit product offering data thatreflects an established offer to the consumer C of a service, an item, adiscount, a redemption, a coupon, a voucher, a non-cash benefit, anincentive, a ticket, an invitation, an event, etc. Accordingly, suchofferings may be listed under the “benefits” section of the listing 24of the optimal credit products 22. For example, a non-cash benefit maybe the offering of “frequent flyer miles” for an airline, or “points”for use in purchasing merchandise, etc. Many consumers C consider suchnon-cash benefits and other incentives when choosing an appropriatecredit product 22.

In order to appropriately reward or offer benefits or incentives to theconsumer C, it is envisioned that the credit issuer selection data set12 includes certain consumer recognition data. For example, thisconsumer recognition data may be selected based upon some currenttransaction between the consumer C and a merchant, a previoustransaction between the consumer C and the merchant, a historicaltransaction between the consumer C and the merchant, etc. In addition,the consumer recognition data may include tracking data specific to theconsumer C, a value reflective of the consumer's C transaction historywith a merchant, a current transaction between the consumer C and thecredit issuer CI, a previous transaction between the consumer C and thecredit issuer CI, and historical transaction data between the consumer Cand the credit issuer CI. In addition, the consumer recognition data mayinclude some value reflective of the consumer's C transaction historywith the credit issuer CI, data associated with transactions with thecredit issuer CI, transaction-specific data, consumer-specific data,transaction frequency data, transaction amount data, cumulativetransaction frequency data, cumulative transaction frequency data,cumulative transaction amount data, consumer demographic data, etc.Accordingly, a variety of historical and/or collected data may be usedto offer certain special benefits and incentives to the consumer C forselecting the optimal credit product 22. In addition, this consumerrecognition data may be “negative” data, such that the credit issuer CIlimits the optimal credit product 22 offerings based upon some past orhistorical negative event, such as credit problems.

As discussed above, the system 10 includes the central optimizationdatabase 16, which maintains the data fields 14 of the credit issuerselection data set 12 and the data fields 20 of the consumer selectiondata set 18. In addition, the optimization process may be engaged in orcarried out by the system 10, a central processing system, the centralsystem 106, the credit issuer CI, a merchant, a seller, an Internetsite, an online entity, a web store, a telephone seller, a group ofcredit issuers CI, a group of merchants, an organization of creditissuers CI, an organization of merchants, an entity, a corporation, acompany, an offerer of goods, an offerer of services, an affiliation ofa plurality of entities, etc. In this manner, the system 10 (andassociated method) could be maintained and engaged in by a variety ofentities to maximize its application and usefulness to any specificentity. Therefore, the method could be optimized to meet the creditissuer's CI goals and objectives and/or the consumer C goals andobjectives, or some balanced system maintained by a third party.

As discussed above, and as illustrated in FIG. 2, a credit issuer report28 may be provided to the credit issuer CI. This credit issuer report 28may include compiled credit issuer-specific data, credit product 22data, consumer C data, consumer C selection data, consumer C behaviordata, consumer C survey data, etc. Accordingly, after the consumer Cselects at least one of the optimal credit products 22, it is envisionedthat certain selection data may be obtained from the consumer Cregarding his or her selection of a specific optimal credit product 22.For example, this selection data may include the reason for a selection,a reason for not selecting, data directed to the consumer selection,credit product 22 data, credit rate data, credit terms, credit benefitsdata, credit affiliation data, etc. Using this “survey”-type data, thecredit issuer CI can better understand the consumer C behavior and thereasons behind his or her selection or failure to select.

As discussed above, the consumer C may transmit a data field 20 (as partof the consumer selection data set 18) that reflects the consumer's Crequested credit product. Therefore, the method and system 10 mustdetermine whether the consumer C is eligible for the requested creditproduct. This selection is referred to as the consumer preferred creditproduct 34. Alternatively, the consumer C may not have a specific creditproduct 34 in mind, but instead a preferred set of product terms 36.Therefore, as seen in FIG. 4, the consumer C provides the consumerpreferred credit product 34 and/or credit product terms 36 to the system10 as part of the data fields 20 transmitted to the optimizationdatabase 16.

The consumer C may receive various responses back from the system 10based upon the data fields 20 of the consumer selection data set 18, aswell as data fields 14 of the credit issuer selection data set 12. Forexample, the consumer C may receive a listing 24 indicating all of theoptimal credit products 22 for which the consumer C is eligible, with aspecific notation of the consumer preferred credit product 34. If theconsumer C is not eligible for his or her consumer preferred creditproduct 34, a listing 24 may include such an indication, but indicatethat the consumer C is eligible for other credit products 22.

Also as seen in FIG. 4, another option or response from the system 10 tothe consumer C would be an indication that the consumer C is noteligible for any credit product 22. In many cases, the system 10 mayrequire additional data fields 20 from the consumer C for identifyingthe optimal credit product 22 and/or the consumer's C eligibility forany of the credit products 22. Accordingly, one screen or response maybe that the consumer C may be eligible for certain credit products 22,but additional data is required. Of course, if the consumer C hasalready been provided with instant credit, the consumer C would, ofcourse, be eligible for some type of credit or debit product.

When engaging in the optimization process, the credit issuers CI mayprovide the system 10 and/or optimization database 16 with credit issuertarget goal data 38. This data would be reflective of the individualcredit issuer's CI goals and objectives regarding the types of preferredconsumers C or data about these consumers C for which to tailor theircredit products 22. It is envisioned that the credit issuer target goaldata 38 from each credit issuer CI may be further analyzed and combinedand/or compared with system credit issuer priority data 40. In thismanner, the system 10 may include its own unique data fields, targets,goals and objectives regarding the optimization process and the matchingof credit issuers CI and consumers C. Ultimately, the system 10 may havecontrol over what is offered to and presented to the consumer C forselection.

In another embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the consumer Ctransmits his or her preferred credit product 34, together with theappropriate data fields 20, in the consumer selection data set 18 to thesystem 10 and the optimization database 16. Further, multiple creditissuers CI (indicated as A and B), provide individual and discretecredit issuer selection data sets 12 to the system 10 and optimizationdatabase 16. It should be noted that, at this point, the consumer C hasindicated that his or her preferred credit product 34 is a creditproduct of credit issuer A. After the optimization process, the system10 may transmit a message to the consumer C that he or she is eligiblefor a credit product of credit issuer B. Of course, if the consumer C isalso eligible for a credit product of credit issuer A, the system 10could also indicate this in response to the consumer C, but may place iton a different page or different area. In this manner, the system 10 mayhave located a different optimal credit product 22 for the consumer C,based upon either the consumer C data fields 20 and/or the credit issuerCI data fields 14. It is further envisioned that the sequential listingof optimal credit products 22 may serve to urge the consumer C to selecta specified and optimal credit product 22, as determined by the system10.

As seen in FIG. 6, the present invention is further directed to anapparatus and system 10 for identifying the optimal credit products 22,as discussed above. In particular, the apparatus and system 10 wouldinclude a storage mechanism 42 including the central optimizationdatabase 16. Both the consumer C and the credit issuer CI couldinterface with an input mechanism 44 for transmitting the consumerselection data set 18 and credit issuer selection data set 12. Inaddition, the system 10 would include a processor mechanism 46 that isconfigured to determine one or more optimal credit products 22 to beoffered by the credit issuer CI to the consumer C. Furthermore, theprocessor mechanism 46 could be programmed with software or hardware inorder to execute an algorithm 48 for determining the optimal creditproducts 22, the respective rankings and list generation. Finally, thesystem 10 would include an output mechanism 50 for offering andpresenting the optimal credit products 22 to the consumer C. Such anarrangement is illustrated in schematic form in FIG. 6.

Yet another embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 7. In this embodiment, themethod and system 10 are in the form of a wireless network system, wherecommunications are occurring over a network N. Accordingly, the consumerC transmits the data fields 20 and the consumer selection data set 18 tothe system 10 over the network N. Furthermore, the credit issuers CIprovide data fields 14 of the credit issuer selection data set 12 overthe network N to the system 10. In this embodiment, the consumers C andcredit issuers CI use an interface device 26 in the form of a wirelesscomputing device, such as a computer or terminal connected to theInternet or other device capable of wireless communication. Of course,the method and system 100 described above could also be used inconnection with and over the network N.

Next, the listing 24 of optimal credit products 22 is transmitted to theinterface device 26 of the consumer C, and the consumer's C selectioncan be transmitted to the system 10 and/or directly to the credit issuerCI. Accordingly, the system 10 may facilitate direct communications andcontact between the consumer C and the selected credit issuer CI. Inaddition, the above-discussed credit issuer report 28 may be transmittedwirelessly to the interface device 26 of the respective credit issuerCI, or alternatively, a hard copy of the credit issuer report 28 may besent to the credit issuer CI.

In this manner, the present invention provides a method and system 10for identifying one or more optimal credit products 22 for offering andpresentation to a consumer C. Further, the method and system 10 can takeinto account the consumer selection data set 18 and/or the credit issuerselection data set 12 during the optimization process. The optimalcredit products 22 may be identified based upon the credit issuer's CIgoals and objectives and/or the consumer's C goal and objectives.Therefore, the present invention provides a method and system 10 foridentifying optimal credit products 22 that operates effectively in botha “down sell” and “up sell” situation. Further, the present inventionprovides a system 100 for engaging in an instant credit transactionbetween a consumer C and a merchant M, which allows for the satisfactionof the debt after the transaction has been consummated between theconsumer C and merchant M.

Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose ofillustration based on what is currently considered to be the mostpractical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that suchdetail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limitedto the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to covermodifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit andscope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood thatthe present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one ormore features of any embodiment can be combined with one or morefeatures of any other embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: one or more processors; andone or more memories in communication with the one or more processorsand adapted to store a plurality of machine-readable instructions whichwhen executed by the one or more processors are adapted to cause thesystem to: receive a consumer/transaction data set including a pluralityof data fields populated with data reflecting a consumer, a merchant, atransaction, a credit issuer or a combination thereof; analyze at leasta portion of the consumer/transaction data set; based upon results ofthe analysis: (a) offer instant credit by the credit issuer to theconsumer at a point-of-sale; or (b) prevent an offer of instant creditby the credit issuer to the consumer at the point-of-sale; and if theinstant credit is offered to the consumer and the consumer accepts theoffered instant credit at the point-of-sale, consummate the transactionbetween the consumer and the merchant using the instant credit.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions which whenexecuted by the processor(s) further cause the system to: authenticateor verify the consumer prior to offering the instant credit to theconsumer based upon at least one data field in the consumer/transactiondata set.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofinstructions which when executed by the processor(s) further cause thesystem to, based upon the results of the analysis: (i) limit an amountof instant credit offered to the consumer at the point-of-sale; (ii)inform the consumer that the transaction is eligible for instant credit;(iii) inform the consumer that the transaction is not eligible forinstant credit based upon transaction data, transaction type,transaction amount, merchant data, consumer data or a combinationthereof or (iv) a combination thereof.
 4. The system of claim 1, whereinthe plurality of instructions which when executed by the processor(s)further cause the system to: prior to offering the instant credit to theconsumer, present, to the consumer, credit data, credit issuer data,credit terms, credit conditions or a combination thereof.
 5. The systemof claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions which when executed bythe processor(s) further cause the system to: after the transaction isconsummated, present, to the consumer, a plurality of payment optionsthat can be used to satisfy the instant credit amount of thetransaction.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein at least one of theplurality of payment options is an e-check, a check, cash, an ACHproduct, a credit card, a new credit account, an online credit account,an existing credit account, a minimum payment on account, a debitaccount or a combination thereof.
 7. The system of claim 5, wherein theplurality of instructions which when executed by the processor(s)further cause the system to: prior to presentation of the plurality ofpayment options, obtain a consumer data set including a plurality ofdata fields populated with data reflecting the consumer, the merchant,the transaction or a combination thereof; and perform a credit analysisof the consumer based upon at least one data field in the consumer dataset.
 8. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of instructionswhich when executed by the processor(s) further cause the system to:receive a selection, from the consumer, of at least one of the pluralityof payment options, which is in the form of a credit product; andactivate the credit product by a credit issuer associated with thecredit product.
 9. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality ofinstructions which when executed by the processor(s) further cause thesystem to: receive a selection, from the consumer, of at least one ofthe plurality of payment options.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein theplurality of instructions which when executed by the processor(s)further cause the system to: utilize at least one of the plurality ofselected payment options to satisfy: at least a portion of the instantcredit amount of the transaction; at least a portion of the instantcredit amount of a plurality of transactions, or a combination thereof.11. A method comprising: obtaining, electronically by a processor, aconsumer/transaction data set including a plurality of data fieldspopulated with data reflecting a consumer, a merchant, a transaction, acredit issuer or any combination thereof; wherein the consumer and themerchant engage in the transaction at a point-of-sale of the merchant;analyzing, electronically by the processor, at least a portion of theconsumer/transaction data set; based upon results of the analysis: (i)offering instant credit of the credit issuer to the consumer at thepoint-of-sale; or (ii) preventing an offer of instant credit of thecredit issuer to the consumer at the point-of-sale; and if instantcredit is offered to the consumer: (i) receiving acceptance of the offerof instant credit from the consumer; and (ii) consummating thetransaction between the consumer and the merchant using the providedinstant credit.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprisingauthenticating or verifying the consumer prior to offering the instantcredit to the consumer based upon at least one data field in theconsumer/transaction data set.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein,based upon the analysis, the method further comprises: (i) limiting theamount of instant credit offered to the consumer at the point-of-sale;(ii) informing the consumer that the transaction is eligible for instantcredit; (iii) informing the consumer that the transaction is noteligible for instant credit based upon transaction data, transactiontype, transaction amount, merchant data, consumer data or a combinationthereof; or (iv) a combination thereof.
 14. The method of claim 11,wherein, prior to offering the instant credit to the consumer, themethod further comprises presenting, to the consumer, credit data,credit issuer data, credit terms, credit conditions or a combinationthereof.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein, after the transaction isconsummated, the method further comprises presenting, to the consumer, aplurality of payment options that can be used to satisfy the instantcredit amount of the transaction.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein atleast one of the plurality of payment options is an e-check, a check,cash, an ACH product, a credit card, a new credit account, an onlinecredit account, an existing credit account, a minimum payment onaccount, a debit account or a combination thereof.
 17. The method ofclaim 15, wherein, prior to the presenting the plurality of paymentoptions, the method further comprises: obtaining a consumer data setincluding a plurality of data fields populated with data reflecting theconsumer, the merchant, the transaction or any combination thereof; andperforming a credit analysis of the consumer based upon at least onedata field in the consumer data set.
 18. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising receiving a selection, from the consumer, of at least one ofthe plurality of payment options.
 19. The method of claim 18, furthercomprising utilizing at least one of the plurality of selected paymentoptions to satisfy: at least a portion of the instant credit amount ofthe transaction; at least a portion of the instant credit amount of aplurality of transactions, or a combination thereof.
 20. Anon-transitory computer readable medium on which are stored computerreadable instructions and, when executed by a processor, cause theprocessor to: receive a consumer/transaction data set including aplurality of data fields populated with data reflecting a consumer, amerchant, a transaction, a credit issuer or a combination thereof;analyze at least a portion of the consumer/transaction data set; basedupon results of the analysis: (a) offer instant credit by the creditissuer to the consumer at a point-of-sale; or (b) prevent an offer ofinstant credit by the credit issuer to the consumer at thepoint-of-sale; and if the instant credit is offered to the consumer andthe consumer accepts the offered instant credit at the point-of-sale,consummate the transaction between the consumer and the merchant usingthe instant credit.